Life can be tough for college basketball teams who aren’t in one of the ‘Big Six’ conferences, like The University of Memphis men’s team.
When you’re a competitive team in a smaller conference, such as Conference USA, you are expected to win every game.
“Anytime Memphis losses it’s a bad loss,” Tiger head coach John Calipari said. “I’ve never heard anything like that about us. We’ve never had a good loss, not since I’ve been here anyway.”
Calipari said that added pressure makes each game more critical than the one before.
Memphis (14-5, 5-3 in Conference USA) will look to avoid another ‘bad loss’ when the team travels to New Orleans to face the Tulane Green Wave (11-10, 4-4 in C-USA), who currently has a four-game winning streak in conference play.
The Tigers beat Tulane 85-73 at the Pyramid back on Jan. 7. The tables have turned for Memphis, the Green Wave are 9-3 at the Fogelman Area this season.
Calipari said he’s not worried about his team getting distracted while in The Big Easy.
“It’s for first place in the division,” Calipari said. “We know the importance of it.”
After dropping three of their first five games in C-USA, Memphis seems to be returning to old form as they have won their last three games by an average of 22 points.
Lately the Tigers have been relying on outside shooting, hitting 37 three-pointers during their three-game winning streak.
“We’re not really living or dying by the three,” said freshman guard Jeremy Hunt. “Teams have just been leaving us open when they collapse their defense around Chris (Massie).”
Opposing defenses have adjusted to Massie, who averaged 20 points in his first eight games after returning in December, by double and triple-teaming him when he catches the ball in the post.
“He’s unselfish,” Hunt said of Massie. “If they swarm him, he just kicks it out to us.”
Us’ includes Hunt, freshman forward Rodney Carney, sophomore guard Anthony Rice and senior forward John Grice.
The four sharpshooters have drained five, 10, 11 and 10 threes respectively over the last three games.
Offensively, the Green Wave are a versatile team, with three players averaging double figures in scoring.
Waitari Marsh leads the trio with 15, however Brandon Brown with 13.6 and Brandon Spann with 11.8 are capable of leading the team in scoring.
The trio’s scoring output helped Tulane to outscore their opponents 278-252 during the four game winning straight. The last two victories for the Green Wave came on the road versus Houston 65-58 and Alabama-Birmingham 71-66.
Tulane will try to win its third straight game at home against Memphis.
The Tigers tip off against the Green Wave tonight at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
